St. Monica’s is one of 78 congregations in the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida and is part of the The Episcopal Church in the United States of America and the worldwide Anglican Communion. Formed as a mission of St. John’s Episcopal Church and the Naples Deanery in 1991, St. Monica’s first worship services were held in the community room of the North Collier Hospital and then in an office building near Valewood Drive and Immokalee Road.
What is St. Monica’s about?
As an Episcopal Church, we believe the mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ. The Church pursues its mission as it prays and worships, proclaims the Gospel, and promotes justice, peace, and love. The church carries out its mission through the ministry of all its members. (Book of Common Prayer, p. 855)
Within this framework, St. Monica’s maintains a culture where …
- We warmly welcome all. We affirm the dignity of all humanity through a warm and friendly welcome.
- We connect with the community. We support ministries with our talents, finances, and passions.
- We cultivate a culture that welcomes children and youth, affirming them in their baptismal identity and that they are children of God with gifts to offer to the church.
- Music plays a vital role in our worship and outreach to the community.
- Through prayer, friendship, and community, God’s Spirit heals us.
- Fun is a high value in our community and is woven throughout our congregational life.
- We open ourselves to the Spirit. We have a long history of trying new ventures and ministries. Within the framework of our Episcopal values, we are open to change.
Vestry affirmed this statement in June 2022.
Congregational Covenant
In our baptismal covenant, we are called to “respect the dignity of every human being.”
Pray for one another. That’s not just a throwaway line. Lifting one another to God in prayer is how we learn, slowly and sometimes painfully, but ultimately joyfully, to see each other with God’s eyes, hear each other with God’s ears and love each other with God’s heart. Pray for each other, for our leadership team, and for our wider community.
Endorsed by the Vestry, October 20, 2022